“For what it’s worth… I’m sorry.”
He looked irked; her words unexpected, the hand on her jaw retracted as though it burned.
“What did you say?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend on telling anyone, but I made you come all the way out here.”
His eyebrows knit together in confusion. He was definitely caught off guard. Perhaps he was only used to others fearing him, begging for their life once they met him. Those people were drawn to him, just as Avie was. She was sure of it. This creature was attached to the mystery of Blacken in some way. If she wanted to find some answers, then she needed to be on his good side. She needed to be alive and she needed his help.
He took a faltering step back, before catching himself in the action. His demeanour quickly changing back to his previous haughty manner with a frustrated huff and a quick bite of bottom lip—exposing too sharp of teeth even in the darkness. The being stared down at her with scorn, the silence heavy between them. It looked like he wanted to say a plethora of things, yet nothing was uttered, trapped in the back of his throat.
Instead, he shook his head with a scoff, leaving in a flurry of feathers through her window.
All Avie could do was blink. Confused at his actions, and at her own. Just as fast as he was in her vision, he left. She let out a breath holding in her lungs for some time, the adrenaline tapering off, causing her legs to shake and give out, hitting the floor with a thump. This bird-man hybrid was intriguing to say the least. And it didn’t kill her, which was further interesting.
The woman couldn’t imagine he had much conversation with people beforehand; there would have been something in reports and newspapers if so, or even tall tales and urban legends spreading through the town.
She didn’t sleep very well that night. Too many questions raced through her mind at what just happened.
“I figured you may need a coffee.”
Owen waltzed into Flora Adora, a blue and white foam cup in his grasp. Avie lit up at the mention of caffeine, needing the energy boost from her uneasy slumber.
“Thank you, god yes, it’s been a long shift.” She took the cup, eagerly gulping down its contents.
“So, is the boss in?” He looked around nervously.
“No, he went out for banking purposes, I take it you’re not here for official flower business?” Her green eyes amused as she smirked.
He leaned on the counter, “Well, here I was thinking, I’ve been to that building you were at a few times. I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary when I was there, but that was before I met you. I think you could have some sort of superpower with your vibrations to bring out the supernatural there. I was hoping you and I could scope it out?”
She scribbled down a finishing sentence in the company workbook, “I think it was just a vagabond that was there in the middle of the night. I don’t think it’s safe to be lurking around there just yet.”
“True, hardly anybody knows about it since it’s kinda way out there. But in the weather here, they’re probably taking up the place until it’s warm again,” he sighed and hung his head, “maybe when it warms up, they would move on?”
“Who knows, but we want to solve a mystery, not wind up as one of the missing statistics.”
“We can figure a way around it for a later time then, for now we’ll focus on the data!”
The welcome bell chimed, signalling Gerald returning to the store.
“Any messages, Avie?” the boss called out, distracted in an envelope.
She stood upright and professional, “No, Sir.”
“Good, continue on then.”
Owen coughed awkwardly, “Yes, just the salmon rose bouquet. That is everything,” his voice lowered an octave. She wondered if he was disguising his voice as to not be recognized as the person who called her in. He even handed her a few bills, committing to the part, Avie ringing the purchase and bouquet up for him.
After the workday, all she wanted to do was slump into the green cushion of her couch and not move for the rest of the night. Working in the mornings and evenings reminded her of the old routine of her teenage years, however she did not retain the same stamina.
The shrill cry of her landline interrupted a particularly entrancing paragraph in the book she held. Silently cursing, she shoved a bookmark into the pages before rushing off to pick up the receiver and cradle it on her shoulder.
“Hello?”
“Hey Avie, it’s Owen, I’m sorry to bug you again.”
“It’s okay, what’s up?”
“Nothing really, but uhh, there’s something that’s been bugging me… The other night when you were at the manor, did you see anything else?”
Her smile dropped, she couldn’t let him know anything about the events, too worried that he could get hurt if he tried to do his own investigative exploring.
“Owen, If I did see something interesting, you would be the first to hear all about it. All I can remember is the two men.”
“Right, right, yes. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure all the bases were covered, still hoping for some sort of lead in this. I know you’d let me know. Talk to you later?”
“Talk to you later, have a good night.” Avie hung up, a shaky breath escaping her.
It felt horrible to lie to Owen, but she was only doing it to keep him safe. He would do the same for her, and in the end, if anything did come from the mystery, he would understand. She knew he would. Leaning on open palms on the side table, she sighed at the predicament as her head hung down.
The thing evidently made his way into her apartment once again. In a burst, looking quite exasperated in appearance, he confronted her in the living room.
“Why do you not tell him the truth? Why do you not tell
